Sonia Sotomayor to become first Hispanic to swear in a president or VP

President Barack Obama and his Supreme Court choice Sonia Sotomayor during his announcement, Tuesday, March 26, 2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sonia Sotomayor will make history — again.

On Jan. 20, the first Latina to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court will administer the oath of office to Vice President Joe Biden at a private ceremony at the White House. Because Jan. 20 — the official beginning of a presidential term — falls on a Sunday this year, Sotomayor will repeat the oath at a ceremonial event held outside the U.S. Capitol a day later.

Sotomayor will become the first Hispanic — and only the fourth woman — to swear in a president or a vice president.

U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes of Dallas is the only woman to swear in a president, when she administered the oath of office to Lyndon B. Johnson shortly after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor swore-in Vice President Dan Quayle in 1989 and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg swore-in Vice President Al Gore in 1997.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. will once again administer the oath of office to President Barack Obama. (We’ll see if Roberts gets it right this time.)

“It’s an incredible honor to have Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor swear me in,” Vice President Biden said in a statement released by the Presidential Inaugural Committee. “I believed strongly that she would make a great Justice, and it was one of the greatest pleasures of my career to be involved in her selection to the Court. From the first time I met her, I was impressed by Justice Sotomayor’s commitment to justice and opportunity for all Americans, and she continues to exemplify those values today. Above all, I’m happy for the chance to be sworn in by a friend – and someone I know will continue to do great things.”